Who's the girl with Riddler's hat?
by horsewhisper3
Summary: Sequel to Riddle Me That?
1. Riddler

**Sorry it took so long for me to write this, I've been having computer issues. Hopefully throughout this story I can keep your interest and if you are curious and want to know what Shyera looks like you can go on Deviant Art and type in the search box The Riddler's Hench girl, I did my best to make it look like they were related but they're not. So take a look if your interested, I have the same name there as I do on here. Also Riddler isn't mine and Dominic Gite belongs to Ginnyisdacoolest. This is a prologe more than anything else, it just explains why Riddler took such an interest in her, besides the fact that their kindered spirits. This more like a flashback from my first story and I just thought it would be cool if my story titles made a riddle. Please Review!**

**Who's the girl wearing Riddler's hat?**

Riddler sat in the van and watched as Shyera came out of the backyard walking slowly to her front door. He saw the sad and nervous look in her eye as she turned and walked into the house. He couldn't help but feel a little pity for her. After all he had been through similar situations with his father as well. Hearing her father yell at her and tell her how idiotic she was brought back memories of nights where he would try to hide from his fathers wrath. When she was sitting with him in his hideout, there didn't seem to be any bruises or cuts that he could see. He could tell though, by her nervousness, that her father didnt hide the fact that he wanted to hit her. Words and tone of voice alone couldn't cause someone to become that nervous. So since there were no signs of her being hurt he could tell that she was just waiting for her father to loose what little patience he had and release his wrath on the girl.

When he had returned he had expected to see her try to escape, but had been pleasantly surprised to see evidence that she actually managed to escape. He knew with how much stress her idiotic father put on her, the last thing she would want is for some criminal to track her down. With her personality she would more than likely keep to herself. There had been a camera installed inside his hideout incase a certian bat showed up and he was happy to see she knew martial arts as well. Her confidence didn't seem very high since she used a fire extinguisher to help kick the door open. Or was it so she could escape faster if she didn't kick the door open the first time? He could sense a very cunning mind in her that had yet to be fully awakened. She could be a very valuable weapon, if he could click a few things in her mind first. It shouldn't be too hard to earn her trust, especially with how naive she seemed; yes he would have to fix that.

As he though towards the future he knew he wouldn't be able to continue his quest of weeding out the ignorant or continue his game with The Batman. But if he could find someone to continue his legacy, someone he could pass all his knowledge and wisdom to, someone who could see his brilliance and not question it...

He started his car and began to drive back to his hideout with a smirk on his face. "Someone like Shyera".


	2. Shyera

**Okay I am so happy I was able to get another chapter on and honestly I would really like to hear your ideas on this question for you. Shyera's personality is going to change somewhere in this story before she makes her decision and Im thinking her dad will have something to do with it. Basically she goes from this quiet girl that just wants to stay out of trouble to this manipulative, dangerous girl you really don't want to mess with! Unlike Eddie she doesn't act arrogant and wants to be in the spotlight, she actually perfers being underestimated and staying in the shadows because she feels she can get more oppertunites that way and she can be very intimidating and just like Edward she thinks the world is full of idiots. Except towards Riddler she can be secretive and she doesnt like it when people know too much about her and sometimes she will do unpredictable things, its her way of saying 'hey you think you have me figured out, guess again!' So if you guys have any ideas on what tramatic thing could happen to her, Im all ears! On with the story. Oh and until you help me figure this out: another short chapter! Sorry! :( Riddler= not mine and Dominic Gite = Ginnyisdacoolest.**

* * *

**Who's the girl wearing Riddler's hat?**

Shyera always felt safe now and gained a little more confidence everyday. She was really getting into her school work now, especially since she had the inspiration. Maria didn't mess with her anymore, she would receive a glare from often however, but that hardly bothered her now. She actually sprained Maria's arm and she smiled at Maria in class. She remembered the pleasure she felt when she twisted her arm and threw her to the ground where she belonged and where she should have stayed. Shyera had been noticing that she has a whole other side just waiting to get out of her; she knew she didnt have a split personality, but she could feel the change that was in her. She almost completely pushed it away but part of her felt intriuged and was curious and wanted to explore this new personality facet. She supposed that was a bad idea; curiosity killed the cat and all that, or was it framed by ignorance? Some kids picked on her a while back and the teacher warned them its the quiet ones you need to look out for. She never really thought about what the teacher said until now. She didn't feel as stressed anymore, she actually gained a new respect for herself ever since she met Edward and caught his interest. Her grades have gotten higher than before and thanks to her bodyguard Dominic she wasn't having anymore problems in math, she was espcially grateful towards him for letting her take up his time helping her.

She was still thinking about Edwards offer, she knew she didn't have anything in particular she wanted to be, and in all honesty she sometimes got pretty bored with life; in her opinion any job there was offered to her seemed extremley boring...well except for one job in paticular...


	3. Consequences

**Okay thank you for all the ideas for this chapter everyone! This is my first chapter where I describe some action that's going to happen. Im going to try to keep it short and sweet. Oh and thank you for all the reveiws! aannnndddd, I figured out how to put a pic up for my profile picture! YAY ME! LOL! XD Sorry Im still new here. One more thing any ideas for a song that would describe Shyera and her life? I want to do a chacter sheet for her eventually and I want her to have a song that describes her life.**

* * *

Who's the girl wearing Riddler's hat?

Shyera groaned in frustrastion as she stared at the question on her science test. She had worked so hard doing extra credit and any missing work to get her grade up. It was at a C but with all her hard work she actually managed to get it up to a A+! She should beable to answer this question! She glared at it; she usaully always kept her true emotions hidden but lately she didnt mind expressing frustration. Anyone who saw her lately would think she was passive except when something irritated her, however fortunately for others around her she never expressed anger or fury, or felt it for that matter. Like finding a white female doe, anger was extremely rare for her. Her grip on her pencil tightened as she raised it up in the air next to her face to think, she wanted nothing more than to just stab the offending paper.

The other night she had studied most of the material until her father barged into her room telling her to clean the fucking house. She tried to calmly explain to him that she was studying and asked if she could clean the house when she was done. But as expected all that happened was him coming up threatingly close to her face trying to intimidate her. He yelled at her not to talk back and that he was the one in charge of this house, not the other way around. She didn't even say it with an attitude and sadly when she was done, she decided to lay on the couch and finish studying for a test that was worth 50% of her grade! She had thought her father had gone to bed, but he returned to inspect her work. He called her lazy for laying on the couch and told her to go to bed, when she objected, she got the same treatment...always the same treatment.

She didn't think she was a strong person emotionally, but she could try to be. Sometimes she wished he would hit her, beat her until she bruised or bled anything was better than this mental abuse...this...torture. Her father created a monster and let it loose inside her...that monster was her; she was her own worst enemy. A bigger enemy than her father! Her father would point out her mistakes and shove them in her face, yes but she felt as if her monster who looked exactly like her and had the same voice could dig deeper and find even bigger mistakes and bring them up. No matter what she did it felt like her monster kept throwing them at her again and again, _'idiot,moron,stupid bitch!_'.She wondered if thats how Edward felt sometimes, only his monster probably looked like a bat. Since she met Edward she thought of him as her fortress. There are so many questions in life, although now she had come to see them as riddles. But that night she wondered if she could figure out the biggest riddle of all... could Edward help her protect her from herself? Could he help her make that monster go away? _'At least Im good at hiding it._' She thought vaguly to herself.

She continued to stare at the paper, going through all the stuff she studied last night. She just couldn't take it anymore! She hated having to use her girlish charms but unfortunately she really wanted to pass this test if only to show her father it. She rolled her eyes in irritation but put on an innocent sweet smile and looked at the boy who she was painfully aware of had a crush on her. To her it wasn't hard for her to tell when a guy had a crush on you. Especially when you have nothing in common whatsoever with said person and they just kept hanging around you for no apparent reason. It was just one question she didnt know, she was sure Daniel would help her with the right persuasion.

"Hey, Daniel" She whispered with her hand on her mouth like she was thinking as she looked at her paper. "I'm sorry if I'm bugging you and I hope I dont get you in trouble, but I didn't get to study a lot last night. Do you think you could help me with this question?"

"Uh...sure Maggie, if we get in trouble you can just blame me." He smiled happily back at her.

Shyera copied it down quickly in her own words with her hand half covering her eyes like the light in the room was bothering her. She had to make sure Daniel was on her side, he could come in handy in future if she ever needed his help with her work. "It's okay Daniel if we get caught both of us or just I can take the heat for it, okay?" She said giving him her sweet, innocent and grateful smile. "Thank you Daniel, I really appreiate your help!" '_Is there no guys in high school with brains? There is no such thing as the innocent girl I am acting like! I'm amazed he can't tell I'm just toying with him!_' She couldn't help thinking, irritated. She hated guys her age, all hormones and no brains, same can be said for the girls as well. Here's a riddle! What did she have to be in order for people to like her? **A robotic little miss goody two shoes with no brain! **She was tired of pretending to be what everyone expected or wanted her to be. Another riddle: What if what you thought was wrong, was right? And what was right is wrong? People are just too stupid! Some believed that they could make bullys and victims friends or make world peace! When would people realize that stuff like that only happens in storys! At least some people in school had the decency to explain that some things like that just won't happen.

She was lost in thought as the teacher came and collected the tests. She would give less spirited nods at Daniel as he talked to her about how tough the test was, if you really thought about it the teachers give you the answers and if you have the attention span, you can learn all of it. Shyera knew there were smart people in the world, it was one of the reasons she wasn't arrogant, she knew perfectly well there were people smarter than her. So despite her feelings towards certian people she didn't feel right about underestimating them. She had more self respect for herself but she didn't think she was better than anyone, although that still didn't change the fact that the world has a lot of idiots.

While she was consumed with her thoughts, she was slapped back into reality when the teacher handed back tests after grading them and spoke. "Congratulations everyone, you all passed and I would especially like to congratulate you Shyera! You have acheived the highest grade in the class!" He said happily. She looked over her test, as expected she got all the material she studied for last night right. Thanks to Daniel and his 'love sick puppy illness' she got the last question right. She felt a small camp fire inside her as she thought of how she could have answered that question on her own! Oh how she hated having to do that! She didnt understand why Poison Ivy did that; having to use girly wiles to get what you want. She couldn't help feeling alittle prideful and nothing stung her self-respect more than having to choose beauty over brains. After all, knowledge was power.

Only those she felt closest too would she depend on, and those types of people were very few. If you depend on others, they only let you down! It was safer to depend on yourself and she was going to do that by any means necessary. Over the past few weeks her mother had moved out and was planning a divorce, she had thought her protective mother would get her out of the hell hole she was in... not surprisingly her new 'pet snake' whispered to her words of poison. Much like the words she used when she was or is speaking to Daniel. Her new boyfriend convinced her to leave her behind with her dad since she was almost finished with high school. She had tried putting up a fight with her mother by saying she still wanted to go with her but unfortunately her 'snake' pulled a checkmate on her game she was trying to win. Losing had it's consequences and now staying with her dad was it. She called Edward once and told him about him and Edward had asked what his name was, she told him his name was Derek Hudson. "Really?" He had replyed "I recall a cat I knew in the past that had been named Hudson. Ugly little scamp, I believe the rascal got ran over by a semi because I heard the owner say she found her cat dead flat on the road. Personally I believe it sounded like it in some ways resembled Proffessor Jonathan Crane, also known as Scarecrow. By the way, my dear I think it would be best if you didn't tell him that, if you happen to meet him." She smiled while talking on the phone with him; it was surprising how he could cheer her up. Her thoughts disintegrated and her mind came back to the present time.

She couldn't look at the paper anymore, her pride was stung.

She headed home hoping to talk to Edward and see if he would give her some clue as to what kind of scheme he was up to now. She just loved how enigmatic he was,it was just so much fun trying to figure him out! She wondered if that's how he felt about her because of how little she talked and how passive she was, people never knew what she was thinking. Sometimes it seemed like she could be related to Edward. 'Shyera Nigma' she thought to herself with a small smile.

When she got home and opened the front door she noticed her father sitting on the couch watching t.v. She wanted to avoid him, she knew he was in an extremely bad mood, since her mother left and would more than likely take it out on her. Unfortunately fate wasn't on her side today. "Hey dumbass, go get me a beer." Shyera sighed and went and brought a beer to him.

"Is it really necessary for you to call me that?" She said trying to be rational and not let whatever feeling, she was feeling explode inside her. She had to control her emotions or they would control her, she had to be rational.

He chuckled as if he were telling a friend a joke. "Of coarse it is, it's your name, right dumb bitch?" He laughed.

"I suppose so, your too stupid to know my real one, let alone tell the difference between me just talking to you or talking back to you." She said calmly but with an edge to her voice. _'He is such an idiot! He yells at me for just talking to him but when Im actually talking back to him he acts like its a game!' 'Is he just trying to flaunt the fact that he is in charge? Just what kind of game is he playing? Does it even allow me to win?_

He made a face like he was shocked; to her he resembled a stupid teenager making an ass of himself to impress his friends. "Well aren't we bitchy today?"

Shyera didn't feel like playing his **stupid **mind games, they were nothing but a waste of time...and brain cells. She turned around and started heading to her room. "Yeah it's no wonder your mom didn't want to take you with her." He said satisfied that he won whatever game he was playing after taking a sip of his beer. She stopped mid step, his words cutting her like a knife. Shyera didn't get angry or furious, she could be actually pretty patient, for years it seemed people kept pushing her and pushing her towards the edge of a cliff and now she fell down it, her father gave the final push. She didn't become angry or furious...livid however would suit her perfectly. She dropped her bag, her cell phone in her pocket and her rational part tucked aside, while her emotions consumed her.

Her father could hear and see the television until Shyera grabbed a chair and smashed it into the t.v. with sparks flying out of it. He was furious as if ready to kill her and started coming towards cussing and swearing. Had he not been so stupid he would have seen the dangerous glint in her eye. With lighting fast speed she socked him in the eye and twisted his arm while kneeing him hard in the ribs. She picked up some broken glass and stabbed him with it before throwing him over her shoulder. "Having fun? You really seem to enjoy seeing people suffer." Her voice seemed professionally calm but with a deadly edge to it. _'Seems you do too_.' Obeserved her monster. Her anger left her blind again and quickly left her and allowed her access to her rational side again. Fear seeped into her as she worried about the consequences of her actions.

Her father got up ready to beat the shit out of her, despite how hurt he was his anger inspired him to kill her. **"You stupid god damn bitch, your gonna see jesus tonight!"**

She ran as fast as she could to her room and locked the door. She hid under her desk and pulled her cell phone out, dialling a number, but sometimes messing up because of how panicked she was, she could hear her father's fist pounding on the door louder than thunder, like boulders were being rammed into her door.

Her cell phone was trying to get a hold of Edward, the loud pounding and yelling made her forget she knew martial arts and tears were falling from her eyes as she tried desperately to escape her fate. _'You idiot, you stupid,stupid idiot!' _

_"Hello?" _Said a cheerful voice.

"**Edward! Edward please help me!"** She cried in high pitched hyserical voice.


	4. According to plan

****

Thanks for the reveiws everyone! Oh and just for those that are confused, besides Riddler and Shyera's relationship as boss and hench girl, there relationship is strictly that of a father and daughter, hence why Riddler chose her to continue his legacy. Thank you Highlandgirl for the suggestion, I think Ill go with the song Faith because it not only describes Shyera but Eddie too! XD Thank you! Sadly no Eddie wont be mad, epecially since he knew this would eventually happen... Although he will get angry about something that happens in the future with Shyera! Okay on with the story! Riddler=not mine, Psyce=Artemis Queen of the Stars.

**

* * *

**

Chapter 4

"Edward, Edward Please help me!" Despite the hysterical voice radiating out of the phone the holder was quite calm; today was the day. Riddler's face wore a slight smile as he listened to the poor girl begging him to help her. He had been waiting for this day, the day he would get his partner, his student...his future legacy. He had been waiting pateintly for the girl's father to explode, he had some of his mindless henchmen that he had ordered to stay near her house for this very occassion.

"Alright, easy Shyera. Im on my way." He stated calmly. He hung up his cell phone and dialled one of his goons. "Alright gentlemen the time has come, you know what to do."

"Sure thing boss." Edwards cell phone was clicked shut as he turned in his chair and grabbed his cane that was leaning against the door along with his emerald green coat and hat that was on the coat rack by the door. When he finished this, he walked over to a desk in the corner of the room and pulled out a canister filled with fear gas from a certian aqatence of his. With a smirk on his face he turned and went out the door.

* * *

Shyera was still hiding under her desk with her hands on her ears trying to block out the sound of banging on the door. Both her father and her monster yelling at her; reminding her what a moron she was. Tears were coming out of her eyes, why couldn't she have just controlled her temper? She remembered the sound of Edward's voice, it had soothed her momentarily until her father's voice brought her back to the sitiuation she was in. Edward's voice had sounded so calm like he had everything under control.

The yelling and banging on the door continued, it reminded her of thunder or a gun going off. She knew it wouldn't be long until the door gave out and his fists would be pounding into her. She was 18 now and she was the one who attacked him first, she could go to jail! All her dad had to do was call the cops and say he beat her up in self defense. She knew she was unwanted now and he that he would happily give her away. She groaned, she just couldn't think with all this panic and noise! All this banging, banging and yelling_! 'Stupid, moron,idiot'. _She knew her father's throat must feel like it's on fire right now from all the yelling, but still he kept at it. Suddenly she heard some people burst through the front door; she tried to listen to them but they were muffled through the wall. She heard her dad demand who the hell they were. Then she heard him yelling for help as she hid in her hiding spot what sounded like punches and kicks. She suddenly heard a familiar muffled voice that she couldn't quite understand. She listened to her father scream in pure unadulterated terror. It sounded like who ever was here was dragging him to his room and just threw him in there without a care in the world. She tensed when she felt the ground vibrate with footsteps coming towards her room. She confirmed that someone was coming to her room when she heard said person whistling a cheerful tune as he walked with a spring in his step. She gasped when she heard a knock on her door.

She really wanted to just open her window and make a run for it, if that wasn't who she hoped it was. She willed herself to get up and open the door. "Hello Shyera, are you alright?" The Riddler asked calmly but with a subtle cheerfulness in his voice. He wore a calm face with a small smile, but inside he was excited for this very moment.

Shyera just stared at him for a moment, as she remembered the first time she met him and how she felt. She had felt very similar to how she felt now. She tried to push the nervousness away so she could think clearly. She got in a fight with her dad and he tried to beat her for it and then her dad got beat even worse and was locked up in his room probably having a mental breakdown! What now? Part of her now felt overwhelemed as she thought of what could have been had Edward not stepped in. The very thought caused her to rush forward and wrap her arms, around him hugging him. "Thank you" She whispered hoarsly.

The Riddler was a little taken off guard by the hug but he brushed the surprised feeling aside and patted her on the head. "Of course, I told you to to give me a call me if you needed me." He said with a smirk.

Shyera released him and went and sat on her chair to her desk while Edward made his way to her bed and sat down on it; leaning forward on his cane intently. His eyes looked around the room and noticed a shelf of books from old writers like Socrates, Arosotles, or Shakespear. He breifly wondered if she used the greek Philosiphers to make sense of her life, but such thoughts were interrupted by her. "Edward, what exactly did you do to my dad?"

"Hmm?...Oh well you know I just thought he might like a taste of his own medicine...unless your regretting my help..." He put on a half pained, half worried look. Shyera gasped, she was grateful for his help, EXTREMELY grateful for it! Noone else would have even bothered!

"No that's not it at all! Im sorry this has just been a pretty stressful day for me." She said with a smile.

She felt releived when he smiled back. " Oh good! Now tell me Shyera, You worry about seeing me and I worry about seeing you, If Im not caught what yours is mine. What am I?" Shyera smiled, too easy!

"A robber!" He smiled and nodded.

"Im afraid my men will have to take a few things with them to make it look like a robbery, however if there is anything you don't want taken away, you are welcome to voice your concern." She nodded her head in understanding; not wanting Edward to get caught by the authorities.

"Edward why did my father scream like that?" She just had to know, the curiousity was killing her!

" I bought some fear gas from my aquatence Scarecrow, too bad he wasn't here to witness this; he would have enjoyed hearing his screams, same can be said for Psyce... I hate that girl..." His voice dropped to an irritated mutter at the last part.

Shyera felt some of the fury come back to her as she thought of how angry her father had made her and she couldn't help the desire of wishing she could have the chance to have done that. Her rational side wanted her to reconsider this, just because her dad put her through mental abuse did that mean he should be treated the same way? _'He put me through hell! The only one who I let in my walls and didn't hurt me was Edward! I am so sick of letting people in my walls; HOPING that they wont hurt me! From now on,noone else is getting in my walls, I'll keep everyone else out and only those who aren't idiots will be allowed in and even when I let them in they will be standing on a trap door! _She declared to herself in thought. Nevermore would she completely trust someone or have any kind of hope for them, she was cutting herself off from the rest of the world, she would only protect those inside her walls! She suddenly relized she was so deep in thought that Edward had to keep saying her name and snapping his fingers in her face to bring her out of her transmic state.

"Someone was quite in thought, you know the mind is an amazing thing, it can solve problems and take you places... so where did you go Shyera?" He sounded like a father who caught his child who had snuck out somewhere. He was staring at her intently; waiting for her answer.

"Im sorry, I was just too deep in thought." She said while looking at the ground like a child that was caught doing something bad. Riddler raised an eybrow in surprise and couldn't help the amused smirk that slithered onto his lips.

"You don't need to appolagize for thinking Shyera, thats what seperates you from everyone else, I am just happy that you happen to be one of the few people in this world that do think." She smiled at that, for a 'criminal' he was very kind... at least when he wanted to be.

"I was just thinking about how much fun it would have been if I could have done that to him." She couldn't help the smile that looked dangerously close to Edward's.

"That's perfectly understandable Shyera, belieive me." He chuckled and then sighed. "Well my dear, Im afraid I must bid you farewell." He said as he tipped his hat to her while whitsling a catchy tune as he twirled his cane while heading for the door. "Just call the cops and tell them that the divorce and robbery were just too much for the old tyrant and that he lost his marbles. Things like that happen in Gotham, such a pity. Oh and I almost forgot." He turned around and she could have sworn she saw a bit of pride in his eyes with his smile but it quickly was washed away with the blink of an eye. " Congradulations on your grades, your exceding all your classes, even math and science! Well done Shyera."

It never occurred to her to ask him how he got that information and she didn't bother to wonder, he knew everything about everyone. Her face seemed to be in shock until she had another grateful and HAPPY smile on her face. Noone EVER cared or commented on her grades at least other than some teacher and those teachers were very few. "Thanks again Edward." She said with contentment in her voice. She was finally good enough for someone! He smiled and nodded his head and preceded to leave the house. Suddenly a thought occured to her, if her father did go to a mental institue which seemed likely with his hysterical screaming, how could she go to school and pay the bills! She would have to live out on the street! The very thought caused her to run off after Riddler. "Edward, Edward wait!" She ran around a corner so fast that she bumped into Edward's retreating back.

"Yes Shyera? Is something wrong?" He asked with a smirk that made him look like the devil himself. Shyera was too occupied with her questions and worry to notice this.

"Edward what am I supposed to do? I cant got to school and make enough money to stay here!" She said in a worried voice.

"Hmm...well you know Shyera your always welcome to stay with me if you like." He told her casually. He could tell she was thinking hard about it from the crease in her brows.

If...If she joined him people would always see her as a criminal. But that's how they saw Edward and he was just playing a game. It did sound like a fun and challenging game. Maybe Edward would be kind enough to teach her a thing or too! This could be the biggest challenge of her life and it at the moment Edward was all she had. If the town looked down on her for her desion today then it wouldn't be anything new. She was used to people putting her down, though that didn't mean she liked it. But maybe by getting rid of some of the idiots in the world by playing the game, just maybe people would relize just who the idiots in the world truly are.

"Alright, Ill go with you." The preditory smirk on his face almost scared her but lucky for her, she had been through scarier.


	5. The Pen is mightier than the sword

**Okay here is Chapter 5 and as always please Reveiw! It encourages me to keep writing. Im so sorry about how long it took me to update this! P.S. Anybody know any songs that would describe Shyera when she works for Riddler?**

* * *

**A New Home**

Shyera stared out the window with a smile on her face, she was staring at the familiar buildings as they drove to Edward's hideout. The dark buildings towering over her like giants as she observed the world around her, while she was driven to her new home. Her smile diminshed when they drove by a couple flirting. They were a typical couple it seemed; holding hands as the boy whispered something in her ear making her laugh and then they kissed eachother on the lips. Besides the idiots in the world, it was couples like that, that really made her annoyed. They were so fake to her...to her they were nothing but hormones fooling themselves. If she ever had a boyfriend (Not that she cared to have one.) she would refuse to go out with him unless she liked his personality and most importantly he was smart and if he didn't respect her...well she could teach him too. However she also didn't like depending on someone or having someone depend on her for that matter, it just seemed like it would be unneeded pressure. She knew she was being judgmental and that it's better to have an open mind and consider all possibilities than underestimates everything and that it was foolish but sometimes she couldn't help herself and she had to remind herself that she knew better. As they passed them she couldn't help but roll her eyes as the boy grabbed the girl's chest with his flirtting smile. Normally a girl with any pride or self respect would slap him for doing such a thing but no she just giggled mindlessly. The fools, they thought that by pretending to care for eachother and being there for eachother emotionally because thats what a couple is SUPPOSED to do it meant they were in love. They both just wanted attention or wanted to feel loved by someone. Sure they'll say the things that they think they should say in times of crisis or hug eachother and kiss among other things like they have been togeather for years but it had only been week. Shyera thought about the unwritten rules fake lovers followed, like when your girlfriend or boyfriend is upset, you go comfort them because you feel its your job, when a real couple would do that because they WANT to! A real couple would have respect for eachother and admire eachother,they would fall for not just there looks but there traits good or bad that make up there personality and there mind because that lasts longer than whats on the outside. These idiots if they would only be patient they could probably run into someone that they think is absolutley amazing! But no the girls wonder about there self worth, while the boys took advantage of them. She sighed maybe she was setting expectations for the world;if only people had more pateince and common sense. She was sure people would be happier once they activated there brain cells.

She couldn't wait until she could take part in the game with Edward, especially since around eachother they didn't have to wear a 'mask'. "Hmm, what kind of puzzle do you have on your mind now Shyera?" Shyera snapped out of her thoughts and rose her eyebrows at Riddler in surprise when she saw him narrow his eyes at her like she was a puzzle.

"People always think, well at least their SUPPOSED to." She replied; he rose an eyebrow with a smile on his face.

"So there wasn't anything in particular you were thinking about?" He asked giving her a knowing look with a even more so cocky smile. She rose an eyebrow at him, when ever she was really thinking she had an extremely passive look on her face. Most people thought she was more of a daydreamer than a thinker but with the way Edward was looking at her, it was like he was inside her head, she breifly wondered if he had made some kind of device that could read your thoughts. He chuckled at the question on her face, She may be a puzzle to everyone around her but he was beginning to figure her out...well for the most part. "One thing I've learned about you my dear is that nothing is as it seems. Whenever you have that passive look on your face, I _know_ your thinking hard about something. Something to do with that couple?"

"Yes and no" She smiled at him. This time it was his turn to raise an eyebrow. "I just couldn't help but feel sorry for that couple and pretty much everyone else like them whether their a couple or not." Shyera stared out the window while letting Edward reveiw her thoughts. She rested her head on her hand. "Its sad how society feels it has to wear a "mask" instead of embracing who they really are. They pretend to take off the mask like that couple back there because there scared they wont be accepted. But who wrote the law on what should be accepted or not? Every individual has there own morals or beleifs and personality but if it doesnt fit into someone else's then they could be rejected for who they are. I think that would be better than lying to yourself about who you are. People like that couple are just fooling themselves; because there afraid to take that mask off and they cant really see anything in front of them for what it truly is, because of that mask. It's stupid really."

"..." There was dead silence in the van. She was startled when realized this, did she say something wrong? She turned her head to look at Edward, not sure what his expression or his reaction would be. He was looking at her with his eyebrows raised in slight shock like she had a second head. Slowly a beaming smile slipped onto his mouth and and he began clapping his hands like she was in a talent show."Brilliant! Remarkable! Absolutely well done Shyera!" With the way he was congradulating her she felt like she just won the olmpics. She didn't say anything just stared at him with a cocked eyebrow. "That is the finest observation I have ever heard for someone your age Shyera! And you are absolutely right my dear! Oh I truly beleive you will be quite good at this game my friend! I knew you had common sense and that you were quite smart, but I didn't know you had this intellect! That was positively insightful and logical! Well done Shyera! Well done!"

Shyera smiled and fought back the urge to giggle, she had a funny feeling that working with Edward would be the most fun of her life. Oh what fun it would be to get rid of the idiots in this world.

* * *

When they arrived at his hideout she went upstairs and went to a room on the right, The Riddler had his men bring her bags up to her room and dropped them on her bed for her. It had origanally been one of his hench men who stayed there that night in case he was needed but now he would be sharing a room with one of his associates. For an old run down toy store her room or office was pretty boring looking. The walls were pale and some of the wall paper was torn and the bed was only springs, barely any mattress but it wasn't anything a few blankets couldn't fix. She began unpacking her clothes and when she noticed one of her bras was in plain veiw in her bag as well as the brainless henchmen who was staring at it; she lived up to the color of her fiery long hair and glared at him until he got the message that she could take it from here. Riddler had to check the moniters to make certian that none of his men had tried to steal any money left over from one of his heists, not that he imagined they were intelligent enough to but it was better to be safe than sorry and if they had well, they could be easily taken care of and replaced. As he went over the video tapes that were recorded while he was gone and saw that none were foolish enough to try; he watched the video of Shyera again as she kicked the locked door open again when they had first met. They would be sure to have a lobster dinner tonight to celebrate his aquired new weapon. Eventually he was planning on changing her last name to Nigma; this way she could not only carry his legacy but his name as well. No doubt the girl would be honored for such a name! He could _easliy _hack into the adoption administration and change her name. It wasn't as if she would want to carry on her biological parents last name. She even looked like him! She was quite smart as well, all she needed was someone to teach her how to play the game. She would learn how to turn people into your pawns and how to calculate your oppendents moves and discover there flaws and weaknessess and she would learn to observe and experiance. Before all that however she needed to be tested so he could figure out exactly what she could do. Glancing at his cane that was leaning against the side of the moniters an idea formed in his mind. With a smirk on his face he pressed his finger down on the intercom button.

Shyera had finished unpacking her clothes and laid on her bed to think when she heard a familiar voice out in the hallway through an intercom. "Shyera, would you come to the main office for a moment please? I have something here I would like you to try." She got up off the bed and walked to the door with the sign that told her the destination she was looking for, she could tell that it was the main office even though the plastic sign was torn in half. She walked in and saw some robot peices scattered around along with news paper clippings and notes. The Riddler was leaning back in his chair in front of the moniters with arms resting on the arm rests. He seemed to have a challenging, yet still playful look on his face. He reached over and grabbed his cane and used it to raise himself out of the chair. Shyera always had an uncanny sense of peoples true emotions, she knew he was up to something but it didn't feel like too much of a threat. They both just stood there, She knew he was going to challenge her but she was unsure of what that challenge was. She was about to ask him but not before one of his men came in with a sword and gave it to her. She rose an eyebrow at him in question; Riddler smiled in response. "The Agincourt has excellent handling characteristics and its an english style single handed sword. We aquired one of these in our heists, there quite popular."

Shyera smiled back playfully."Perfect for making a sacrifice to join a cult!"

Edward chuckled, it almost sounded like laughter. "Dont worry Shyera, you dont need to pull any iniation stunts to work with me, this is merely to see what your strengths and weakness are so we can improve them. If you have a run in with Batman we need to make sure you can push him to the limit."

"But what exactly are you supposed to fight with? I could easily break your cane." She replied with a slightly bored, yet curious look. Her comment earned her a risen eyebrow.

"Oh?" He pulled the ball of his cane out revealing a thin but sturdy looking sword "Why don't we test that theory? Hmm?"

"Wait! I don't even know how to fight with a sword! In fact I've never used one in my whole life!" She was becoming a bit nervous as he began walking towards her raising his sword and preparing to attack.

The Riddler seemed to have a darkly amused look on his face as he continued walking towards her. "Im afraid I believe in learning on the job and quite frankly I'd be surprised if you hadn't at least imagined going after your 'Father' with one of these."

"This should be interesting." She muttered under her breath. Remembering her martial arts and trying to stay calm so she could think on how to act or what she could say or do; she blocked with the sword just as she had learned in her martial art classes. Shyera blocked whenever he tried to strike at her, he really was trying to test her metal. She trusted Edward though and knew he was preparing her for a challenging future. If she was going to survive in this city it wouldn't be her martial arts that saved her but her wits. Shyera watched him cautiously until he striked at her again. He quickly tried to move in on her and strike her left side of her rib cage like a snake strikes at its prey. She doged it by remembering her martial art years and twisted herself so it wasnt thrusted through her body and just went past her.

"Splendid Shyera! You are doing absolutely wonderful!" Not a second later after he said that did he try to stike at her again and again coming at her from seemingly all directions. Shyera was incredably grateful that her instinctive reflexes were kicking in at the moment she just hoped they would last until the fight was over. There was a couple close calls but she managed to block them all.

"That was a little sneaky Edward dont you think?" She said with a smile.

"An old wise saying was to expect the unexpected my dear." He tried again to hit her while punctuating each of the words 'expect the unexpected'. Clearly this wasn't just advice it was a warning and it was a warning Shyera would learn to live with for the rest of her life. She remembered a move that she saw in a movie where the 'hero' was fighting with a 'villian'. They had made a twist of the wrist right when the enemy attacked and the sword flew out of the oppendents hand. She really wasn't sure she wanted to try it, she knew better than to put faith in T.V. but it seemed like it could possibly work if she paid close attention and had perfect timing. Right when he attacked Shyera flicked her wrist and like her sword was a hand; threw his sword across the room behind her. Shyera was so in to it by this point that her adrenaline was going and she dropped and kicked his legs out from under him. She somersaulted quickly and pointed her sword at his face. She was panting softly and was now nervous about how Riddler would react since she had bested him in fencing. To her surprise he was smiling!

Edward wasn't a very good loser but since she was going to eventually go up against the batman then he supposed it was necessary for her to beat someone as great as him and the fact that she was great only meant that his name sake would be even greater! As would his legacy! He had studied her stratagies of fighting and realized that she was trying to be very precise when it came to attacking him. No doubt out of respect for the amazing Riddler! He had also noticed that she was studying him as well; his emotions and movements. She somehow could deduce which part of your body was more tense and ready to attack, so she was pretty good about preparing herself for any likely attacks. '_Oh did I pick a fighter!' The Riddler grinned, this was good; she would prove quite the challenge for Batman, after all we wouldn't want The Game to get boring now would we? 'So much potential! She is most assuringly the perfect heir!' _He gave a small chuckle, then rised to his feet. Seeing that he was perfectly alright with the fact that he lost caused her to smile. She didn't say anything as she went and grabbed his sword for him.

"That was fun!" She smiled.

Taking the sword and putting it back in what made it look more like a cane again he smiled back at her. "It certainly was!" He held out his hand to her while he rested his hand on his cane. "Congradulations to such a worthy oppendent." He said as he shook her hand and gave a small bow to her. She gave a charming giggle before she thanked him. "You are very welcome dear Shyera but I believe it is time for supper." They walked out of the moniter room and went down stairs, while walking down Edward stopped and turned to Shyera. "Shyera I would like to have a word with you about something important after dinner, is that alright?"

"Sure, I dont see why not." As Shyera walked with him to dinner she wondered what it was that was so important he wanted to talk about.


	6. Showing You The Ropes

**Showing You The Ropes**

Shyera had never had lobster before and she was rather skeptical about eating it, but Edward had insisted she at least try it. She was surprised at how airy and slightly sweet it was, she should have tried this sooner! After dinner was finished she followed him back to his little office space. "Edward what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" She couldn't help asking curiously.

The Riddler went and sat back in his chair while he propped one foot on the other on the ground and placed his hands together, peering up at her with his signature smirk. "I wanted to talk to you about something very important, my dear. You have heard of how skilfully I lead Batman on my merry little chases for the game, correct?"

Shyera nodded her head. One of her favorite chases she heard he led the Batman on was when he used Gotham city's electricity power to send a riddle to batman in morse code. She loved how he could be creative like that, taking something that seemed to not matter and turning into something FAR more amazing.

"I have planned milions of escapes and can easily outwit any neanderthal that I come into contact with..." he continued, "and of course even I must say the Batman can be quite the sparring partner." He gave a dramatic sigh of angst, " Unfortunately I can't play the game forever and truthfully I don't believe Batman can either… why else would he have his little cohort with him? The point I'm trying to make Shyera is that Batman has someone to continue fighting 'crime', but Who will continue the game for Batman if I'm eventually retired?" He leant forward earnestly. "Shyera I would love it if you would carry on my legacy, and I was hoping you wouldn't mind taking on my last name..."

Shyera stared at him in shock.

"You want _me_ to fight Batman?" she asked incredulously.

"No, no, no. You misunderstand me my dear." He smiled up at her. "I'd never dream of putting you in jeopardy." He spread his hands almost apologetically. "It's simply that I worry that after I'm gone, well, who will keep the city on it's toes? Who will tax the brains of the very finest Gotham has to offer? Should the city be left to stagate?"

"No," Shyera agreed as she began to seriously consider the proposition. Could she do it? Could she really fill the Riddler's shoes if he ever were to retire. Unconsciously she bit her lip. Edward noticed.

"You don't want to?" he asked.

"It's not that," she replied quickly. "It's just that, well, you're The Riddler after all."

He smiled smugly. "But my dear! I should not ask if I didn't believe you were capable. And I certainly wouldn't suggest you take my name."

"You meant that? Really?"

"Absolutely. It would give me great pleasure."

She smiled a little shyly with admiration. "...Me too."

* * *

**Okay sorry for how short this chapter is but its better than nothing right? And thank Artemis, for getting on my back about this! I think the next chapter is sure to be longer than this one, sorry I have a thing agaisnt short chapters so now Im my own worst enemy, also if anyone's interested in my character, she has a facebook page now, if you wanna talk to her. And thank you Esperata for helping me with this chapter! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

** Hey yes I'm still alive and I'm sorry about the long wait for the next chapter, I just had a lot of real life to deal with along with some big changes which I'm still trying to adjust to but I'm sorry about leaving you guys hanging. So I finally decided to finish this chapter I had stored on my computer hope it will make up for it. Again sorry about that. **

* * *

Lying on the 'bed' she made of blankets she brought with her from her old home she stared at the small light coming from the cracks in a boarded up window, it was funny how so much could change in so little time. Had she not been witnessing the scenery of her new 'room' for the time being she would have simply thought of everything that happened yesterday simply a dream. In spite of the terrible condition of her bedroom and questionable stains in certain corners of the room, the girl smiled to herself. She never had the chance to awake without worrying that her stupid 'father' would come rampaging into her bedroom to wake her up telling her just how lazy she was, she laid there enjoying the peace of not having to worry at all about him anymore. She remembered his screams from yesterday and unknowingly a dark smile flashed across her face as relief and a slightly unknown feeling slowly crept into her. '_…You had it coming you, moron…..I can honestly say 'daddy' I hope to god your still screaming your lungs out….' _She was finding herself more and more familiar with these bitter trains of thought. She knew it wasn't right but to think of her tormentor finally getting what was a long time coming felt fully justified at least to her. So far her only regret was not doing it herself, but she supposed injuring him was enough not many kids or teens could say they hit their parents after all. She couldn't help the bit of pride she felt at that thought before she remembered the kind man who had been gracious enough to give her the absolute pleasure of her new identity.

The dark thoughts disappeared instantly as she remembered the only one she had left who hadn't abandoned her or mistreated her. The dark smile instantly was replaced with a genuinely happy smile as she got up ready to start the day. Changing into the clothes she picked out for the day she quickly changed and headed out her bedroom door down stairs . A thug was carrying a box that looked relatively heavy and quickly moved out of her way as she walked past him, apparently with her new identity she also bared some kind of status among the men, they didn't seem the kind to just politely move out of someone's way otherwise. Thinking about it though she had thought she heard something Edward had said to them about not giving her any problems or there would be consequences outside her bedroom door. It was nice to have someone actually looking out for her, she swore to herself to do the same for him.

Quickly coming down the stairs she let her eyes take in the room around her until her eyes landed on her 'role model'. Edward was sitting in a chair looking over several blue prints with a few newspaper clippings with either certain articles about political issues with people or info on certain criminals. To say Edward liked to stay in the loop of things that were going on in the city seemed an understatement, she couldn't help the admiration she held for his dedicated personality, it was very inspiring! "Well, well, Awake now are we?" Edward inquired nonchantly.

"Yes what's that your working on?" She asked instantly curious, every riddle and puzzle Edward came up with was a true work of genius as well as a work of art, curious as ever she wanted to know what master piece he was working on now. But more than that she wanted to know just how he did it. She quickly took a seat in front of him and looked at the blue prints of the different buildings.

Edward smiled not taking his eyes away from his work while appearing deep in thought about something. " Maybe you eat me, perhaps you don't. Leave me alone too long and I'll get soggy, but either way I still float. The beginning of my name is the same word for happy; the rest comes before the letter "p". What am I?" He didn't look up from his work until he finished the riddle, looking at her expectantly.

He watched her as she looked down quietly , seeing the gears turning in her head as she wore a look of deep concentration much similar to the one he had previously been wearing. He smiled to himself as that spark of intelligence graced her blue eyes that seemed more relaxed now, a bit more confident. She used to be such a timid young girl but thanks to him and his brilliance she was becoming more confident with herself. It was truly a shame there weren't more amazing people like him in the world he gave her more confidence in a mere few days than a month's worth of therapy. He was content the girl seemed to show such gratitude to him as well. Had it been any other that he tried to help they would simply imply that his ego was getting away from him and be on their merry way…If they answered correctly to any riddles he may have for them of course. This city should really be thanking him for always working diligently to weed out the ignorant. Oh well it will all be worth once he stumps the dark knight and shows everyone once and for all who the real genius of Gotham city is….with his newly acquired little protégé of course.

"Cheerios. I think Ill skip breakfast for today I'm not really hungry right now." She smiled at him before looking to the side and noticing he had a contraption that looked like a question mark trophy, it seemed it was still missing some pieces from it, she wondered what it was supposed to do. "Is that for the game?" She asked eagerly.

A smirk slid across his face; very pleased she wanted to learn. "Not so much hungry for food it seems." He grinned leaning back for the first time since he'd spent most the morning planning and plotting while going over information he would need. "To answer your question yes it most certainly is." He answered bending down to pick it up and reaching across the table towards her to allow her to examine it. "We'll be needing a lot more on hand for the game with Batman of course and Ill be more than happy to show you how to make these amazing trophies. I could certainly use your help in making them as well as helping me put them in there proper places before its time to begin the game. In this life my dear good help is extremely difficult to find especially when most the help happens to be drop out high school **degenerates**." He spat the last word out giving an icy glare to a certain idiot who happened to accidently drop a box on the stairs trying to go up the stairs before they tripped.

Shyera had jumped slightly when she heard the noise while Edward was talking but once she turned again to look at Edward she felt slightly unnerved, it reminded her of when she first met him and how she thought of him as a villain, she scolded herself for ever thinking of him as the monster people made him out to be. What Edward did was really for everyone's own good. He never received any thanks for the things he did! He really was misunderstood! She frowned looking at Edward's cold glare being shot at the nervous henchmen. She felt her teeth grit against themselves while anger started burning in her eyes, before she knew exactly what she was doing she turned in her chair and glared an equally if not more so angry and annoyed glare at the man responsible for Edward's stress.

The hired help was becoming increasingly nervous under both of the Nigma's death glares. He knew he shouldn't feel too intimidated by the young girl's glare as much as the bosses but there seemed to be a eerily similar look as well as presence from the two of them.

"Excuse me I don't want to tell you your business…." Shyera fought to keep her tone calm but it was obvious to anyone in the room there was a calm fury seeping into her voice. "…But Edward works his ass off day and night to help the people of this idiotic city…..the least you could do is lessen his load of idiocy he has to deal with on a day to day basis." She would help him…. no matter what people thought of her…. no matter what she'd have to do…..or endure….. she would help to him! She got up from her seat and walked towards him anger coming off in waves. Edward didn't need to deal with this right now so she'd deal with for him. She was quickly loosing her temper, she couldn't help it, she didn't like seeing Edward upset especially after all he did for her, she didn't like seeing Edward upset, the hired help needed to know that as long as she was there there'd be consequences if her mentor was in anyway displeased with them, she will NOT tolerate any idiot that upsets Him.

Edward made no move to stop her as his men sent nervous glances between Shyera and him almost as if they wanted him to call her off. Now really where would the fun be in that? That poor fool had this coming if he couldn't even complete a simple task as taking a box of equipment up the stairs to a storage room. He steepled his hands together and leaned back watching in a relaxed manner as the scene played out before him with an amused smirk lighting up his face.

She stopped in front of him and sighed, it seemed her previous anger all but disappeared. She bent over and picked up the box, handing it to him. He hesitantly reached out and took it from her glancing at Riddler unsurely then back at her." Riddle me this…." He listened carefully as most who worked for the Riddler knew they should especially if they value there lives, it was odd hearing it from this kid though. " I can run but not walk. Wherever I go, thought follows close behind. What am I?" She asked nonchantly annoyance still in her eyes.

The man thought for a moment while holding the box"…A ….Is it a ….Some kind of machine?"

Shyera rose an eyebrow as if talking to a child despite him being older than her, "Good guess…" She scrunched her eyebrow together in concentration as if trying to remember something important. "I'm sorry when I get angry I don't think straight, What was your name?..."

The man seemed to relax a bit, at least this kid wasn't as crazy as the boss was with his riddles. "G-Gerry,…. my names Gerry."

She nodded in understanding , "Oh Gerry nice to meet you. That was a good guess." She smiled her eyes seemed kind. Gerry immediately fell on his back while trying to learn how to breath again after getting the wind knocked out of him from landing hard on his back. Blood was dripping from his nose, no one moved to aid him in anyway, they simply stared at her, who would have thought the 'kid' knew how to throw a hard punch. "It was a good guess Gerry but it was wrong." Shyera replied in a matter of fact voice. "The correct answer was a nose. " She looked at the rest of them and smiled hoping to lighten up the mood since it seemed so tense all of a sudden, "I know its hard but Please do your best to help Edward. He has enough simpletons to take care of as it is…" At the mention of Edward, Shyera immediately turned to him with a sincere look of apology on her face. "I'm really sorry Edward you were saying…." To her glee he seemed much more happier and relaxed!

Edward grinned at her, "My dear something tells me we are going to have a glorious future together…." He chuckled to himself, '_That's my girl…'._

* * *

**_ There's your new chapter, I know I've got a lot of grammar mistakes and I promise to fix them eventually, I'm just too lazy to do it now, plus its one in the morning. Hope you like this chapter, I'm off to bed. Let me know what you think so far._**


End file.
